The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) said on Thursday that its chairman had sent a personal letter to US President Donald Trump, apologising for a misleading edit of one of his speeches, while rejecting claims that the incident constitutes grounds for a defamation lawsuit.
The apology follows the broadcaster’s admission that a documentary aired last year gave the impression that Trump had directly urged “violent action” just before the 6 January 2021 assault on the US Capitol by his supporters.
The edited clip sparked widespread outrage, leading to the resignations of the BBC director-general and the organisation’s top news executive, and prompting Trump’s lawyers to threaten a $1 billion lawsuit.
In a statement, the BBC said, “BBC Chair Samir Shah has sent a personal letter to the White House making clear to President Trump that he and the corporation are sorry for the edit of the president’s speech. While the BBC sincerely regrets the manner in which the video clip was edited, we strongly disagree there is a basis for a defamation claim.” BBC lawyers have also formally written to Trump’s legal team.
The controversy continues as the BBC investigates another possible misleading edit of Trump’s speech from the day of the Capitol riots.
Reports suggest that a June 2022 “Newsnight” programme similarly spliced together phrases from Trump’s speech to make it appear that he was urging supporters to go to the Capitol and “fight like hell.”
A BBC spokesperson said, “This matter has been brought to our attention, and we are now looking into it.”
The row came at a politically sensitive time for the BBC, which is set to renegotiate its Royal Charter, the framework for the corporation’s governance, before the current charter expires in 2027.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s government has sought to balance support for the broadcaster’s independence while avoiding taking sides in the US controversy.
